Podcast: 4-star QB could be headed to Mississippi State

Welcome to More Cowbell, SEC Country’s daily podcast on Mississippi State sports with host Brandon Walker.

The Dan Mullen respect tour continues. On the heels of a 6-7 season in 2016, his worst since a 5-7 mark in 2009, the Mississippi State coach’s stock continues to soar nationally. First, there was a wave of momentum earlier this spring when several national pundits ranked Mullen as the SEC’s No. 2 coach behind Nick Saban. Now, CBS Sports has ranked Mullen inside its top 25 of coaches. So where is all the positive momentum coming from?

In other news, Mullen’s quarterback reputation continues to grow, as the Bulldogs are considered the leader for 4-star quarterback Jalen Mayden (Sasche, Texas). Mayden, a 6-2, 215-pound lefty, passed for 2,400 yards and 24 touchdowns against just 4 interceptions as a junior while rushing for 560 yards and 9 scores. While he hasn’t pulled the trigger yet, a commitment from Mayden would be a huge boost for MSU’s 2018 class, and it would continue Mullen’s trend of landing top-flight quarterbacks. It started with Dak Prescott in 2011, continued with the signing of Nick Fitzgerald and reached its apex last year when 4-star Keytaon Thompson, Mullen’s highest-rated QB signee, joined the Bulldogs. With Mayden potentially picking the Bulldogs, that would continue Mullen’s recent hot streak.

Elsewhere, MSU’s tight ends need to take a huge step forward as a group in 2017 to help the MSU offense and offensive tackle Martinas Rankin received his fair share of positive publicity.